Oregano is generally well known as a culinary spice. Less well known are the medicinal properties of oregano essential oil. Historically, Greek physicians used oregano essential oils for wounds, headaches, and venomous bites and even hemlock poisoning. It has also been used to treat lung conditions, bronchitis, sinusitis, and cold symptoms including cough. During the seventeenth century, it was heralded throughout Great Britain as an effective remedy for head colds. This was all based on anecdotal evidence.
Modern research has demonstrated that the medicinal properties of oregano essential oils may, in fact have scientific support inasmuch as research has shown oregano essential oils to have antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiseptic properties. For non-limiting examples, in 1999, the Journal of Applied Microbiology compared 52 plant oils and extracts. Oregano essential oil was found to have significant antibacterial action against a wide number of bacteria including Staphlococcal species, E. coli, Salmonella enterica, and Klebsiella pneumonie. Staphlococcal infections are among the most common type of skin and soft tissue infections. The Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, variety is one that is particularly difficult to eradicate even with the use of strong pharmaceutical antibiotics, and an infection can be fatal. Carvacrol (as described below, a major component of oregano essential oil), a phenolic compound found at a level approaching over 93% in Mediterranean oregano oil, may be effective against MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant “superbug” that is appearing in hospitals throughout the country. It does this without, apparently, creating mutant strains of drug-resistant bacteria, and it has none of the debilitating side effects of pharmaceutical antibiotics. See also, e.g., Journal Food Protection, Volume 64, July 2001 (Researchers at the Department of Food Science at the University of Tennessee reported that, among various plant oils, oil of oregano exhibited the greatest antibacterial action against common pathogenic germs such as Staph, E. coli and Listeria.); Journal Applied Microbiology, Volume 88, February 2000 (British researchers reported oregano oil had antibacterial activity against 25 different bacteria.); Southern Medical Journal, Volume 94, August 2001 (The growing problem of antibiotic resistance has health authorities extremely concerned. It is already the case that various germs are showing resistance to vancomycin (strong antibiotic), particularly to intestinal bacteria (Enterococcal species) among hospitalized patients.)
Finally, in 1988, the International Journal of Food Microbiology found oil of oregano to be an excellent antifungal, completely inhibiting the growth of the nine fungi tested. Other studies have been published that demonstrate the ability of oregano essential oil to kill yeast, including Candida albicans. 
Oregano essential oil is a member of the Labiatae family. Native to Mediterranean regions, Oregano essential oil contains the following components:
carvacrol (share 40-93%)
gamma-terpinene (8-10%)
p-cymene (5-10%)
alpha-pinene
myrcene
thymol
flavonoids
caffeic acid derivatives
The Physicians' Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines, Second Edition, also points out that there are various chemotypes with differing essential oil composition of thymol, linalool+terpinene-4-ol, linalool, caryophyllene+germacren D, or germacren D as chief components.
Oregano is also rich in minerals including calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, copper, boron, and manganese and vitamins C, A (beta carotene), and niacin.
A drawback to oregano essential oil is that it is very potent, making it difficult for the average patient to control intake. As little as 3 drops can cause gastric upset. Moreover, while sake at appropriate dosages, Oregano essential oil, excessive dosages, is toxic to liver, kidneys and the nervous system.
Accordingly, consumer complaints regarding oregano essential oil is that it can cause, at a minimum, gastric upset and, worse, organ toxicity due to the difficult nature of dosage control. From a scientific standpoint there is interest in making as much of the oregano essential oil bioavailable as possible so as to get the maximum effect in a short amount of time without causing long-term deleterious side effects.
Attempts to address these issues have, until now, mainly revolved around purifying the oil to make it higher quality and then diluting it with either another oil or even following up ingestion with water. From a scientific standpoint, not much research has gone into increasing the bioavailability, thereby decreasing the required amount of oil required; thus, minimizing the potential negative effects of the oil while at the same time maximizing its benefits.
Accordingly, there is need for a composition that increases the bioavailability of oregano essential oil while at the same time shortening the time for absorption, and potentially reducing the amount of oil necessary to be consumed in order to obtain a desired result. Such a composition is provided for in the present invention.